This US band was formed by two members of the Jefferson Airplane, Jack Casady (John William Casady, 13 April 1944, Washington, DC, USA; bass) and Jorma Kaukonen (b. 23 December 1940, Washington, DC, USA; guitar/vocals). The band evolved as a part-time extension of the Jefferson Airplane with Kaukonen and Casady utilizing the services of colleagues Paul Kantner (guitar) and S
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19 September 1945, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. A prolific session musician who later recorded a series of albums under his own name. Proficient on guitar (primarily acoustic), violin, mandolin and banjo, Brombergs music embraces elements of folk, blues, bluegrass, rock, comedy and lengthy narrative stories often inserted between choruses. His career began in New Y
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Robert Hall, 16 October 1947, San Francisco, California, USA. Weir enjoyed a lengthy career as rhythm guitarist and vocalist with the legendary west coast band the Grateful Dead. Like his colleagues, he sporadically embarked on solo projects and played with other bands. Ace was a fine solo debut (albeit a Grateful Dead album in disguise), after which Weir joined up with King
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Formed in 1969, the New Riders Of The Purple Sage was initially envisaged as a part-time spin-off from the Grateful Dead. Group members Jerry Garcia (Jerome John Garcia, 1 August 1942, San Francisco, California, USA, d. 9 August 1995, Forest Knolls, California, USA; pedal steel guitar), Phil Lesh (b. Philip Chapman, 15 March 1940, Berkeley, California, USA; bass) and Mickey
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Formed in San Francisco, California, USA, Old And In The Way were active between 1973 and 1976. Founders Peter Rowan (4 July 1942, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; lead vocals/guitar), David Grisman (b. 23 March 1945, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA; mandolin/vocals), Richard Greene (b. 9 November 1945, Beverly Hills, California, USA; violin/vocals) and John Kahn (bass) were previous
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Jerome John Garcia, 1 August 1942, San Francisco, California, USA, d. 9 August 1995, Forest Knolls, California, USA. The mercurial guitarist of the Grateful Dead was able to simultaneously play with two or three other conglomerations without it affecting his career as leader of one of rock musics legendary bands. For four decades Garcia was a leading light on the west
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Claude Russell Bridges, 2 April 1942, Lawton, Oklahoma, USA. The many talents of Russell include that of singer, songwriter, producer, arranger, entrepreneur, record company executive and multi-instrumentalist. While he tasted great honours as a solo star in the early 70s, it is his all-round contribution, much of it in the background, that has made him a vitally important f
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23 March 1945, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA. An accomplished mandolin player, Grisman forged his reputation on the mid-60s US bluegrass circuit as a member of several New York-based attractions, including the Washington Square Ramblers, the Galaxy Mountain Boys and the Even Dozen Jug Band. In 1966 Grisman joined Red Allens band the Kentuckians, but the following year te
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The Allman Brothers Band of the 90s and 00s, this Athens, Georgia, USA-based jam band was formed at the University of Georgia in the mid-80s by college friends John Bell (14 April 1962, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; vocals/guitar), Michael Houser (b. 6 January 1962, Boone, North Carolina, USA, d. 10 August 2002, Athens, Georgia, USA; guitar) and Dave Schools (b. 11 December 1964; ba
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14 February 1934, San Mateo, California, USA. Merl Saunders is best known for his keyboard playing in a 70s band with Jerry Garcia, lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead. Saunders began playing keyboards professionally at the age of 13 in San Francisco, concentrating on the organ after hearing jazz organist Jimmy Smith in 1957. Saunders worked in jazz outfits with vibes player
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1 February 1951, Canton, Mississippi, USA. Being born in the birthplace or thereabouts of Elmore James, did not mean that Sonny Landreth had to play slide guitar, but it certainly makes good copy. In fact, after five years in Jackson, Mississippi, the family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, and Landreth grew up surrounded by Cajun music and its lifestyle. At the age of 10, he
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3 January 1945, Dallas, Texas, USA. This often dubbed musical genius is better known for his work with the pivotal 60s band Buffalo Springfield, and for many years his association with David Crosby, Graham Nash and Neil Young. After the Buffalo Springfields break-up, Stills, at a loose end, joined with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield for the million-selling 1
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John Cowan Harford, 30 December 1937, New York City, New York, USA, d. 4 June 2001, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. A child prodigy, Harford was raised in St. Louis, and mastered the fiddle by the time he was 13. He then turned to banjo and dobro, and later played rock guitar in the clubs and honky tonks of St. Louis and Memphis. After leaving university, he worked at several job
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11 September 1945, Athens, Georgia, USA. This inventive guitarist drew inspiration from the country-blues style of Mississippi John Hurt, and having taken up the instrument as an adolescent, joined several aspiring mid-60s groups. Induction into the US Navy interrupted his progress, but the artist was discharged following an accident that permanently damaged his hearing. Kot
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